


Breathless

by wreckingtomlinson



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bottom Harry, Bottom!Harry, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Top Louis, smut (but not right away), some Ziall way in the background, top!Louis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-29
Updated: 2013-10-29
Packaged: 2017-12-30 20:16:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1022936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wreckingtomlinson/pseuds/wreckingtomlinson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU where Louis is a lifeguard, Harry is a surfer, Zayn and Niall might have something going on, and Liam just wants Louis to keep his shirt on.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Breathless

Louis Tomlinson was ready to call it a day, and he’d only just sat down. It was hot—too hot, he thought, yanking at the neck of his lifeguard’s shirt. Too bad he couldn’t just chuck the shirt off—his boss wouldn’t let him.

“It’s the only thing that lets people know you’re a lifeguard,” Liam Payne had told him when Louis had complained. “We already let you wear whatever swimsuit you want.” Louis had decided not to argue for the sake of keeping his job, despite his want to point out the bright red whistle hanging around his neck. And Liam was actually a good friend when he wasn’t being all boss-like.

So it was with some reluctance that Louis climbed the short ladder to his perch and set out the “Lifeguard on Duty” sign. Sighing, he shielded his deep blue eyes—shit, he’d forgotten his sunglasses—and scanned the beach. It was midsummer, and the Bournemouth beach was busy as usual. Umbrellas dotted the sand every few metres, and everywhere he looked he saw someone else swimming or surfing or doing some other water activity.

The afternoon passed in a blur of inactivity, and soon Louis found himself slipping into daydreams. Several days ago, he’d noticed a boy surfing out in the sea. Louis remembered the way the boy’s curly brown hair stuck, wet, to his forehead, and watching the boy run past his stand without so much as a glance in Louis’ direction. Louis ran a hand through his caramel fringe with a sigh. He hadn’t seen the boy since that day, and wondered offhandedly where he’d been.

A shrill screech from somewhere off to his left drew his attention, and he sprang to his feet, whistle already between his teeth. To his irritation, it was only a group of teenage girls, sixteen if he had to guess. Louis groaned—he hated the way they made a fuss over everything. The four of them were pointing at something that must have been behind him, but he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Probably screaming over some lad, he figured, leaning back in his chair and focusing his attention back to the twenty or so people in the water.

“Um, hello,” came a voice from down on the ground.

Louis leaned over the arm of his chair to see one of the girls looking up at him. “How can I help?”

The girl twisted a lock of blonde hair around a perfectly manicured fingernail. Her other hand fiddled with something in the pocket of her shorts. “Hi…you’re Louis, right?”

He raised an eyebrow. “I am.”

“Oh. Well, my friends were talking about you and…I thought I’d come and talk to you.” Oh, bollocks. Louis saw where this was going. His suspicion was confirmed when the hand in her pocket gave him a small slip of paper that probably had her number on it. “You’re…you’re very fit,” she said, all giggly in and in a rush.

“Thanks.” Louis managed a grin. “But sorry, I don’t…I don’t go that way.”

The girl’s eyes widened, and she started to say something but Louis’ attention was diverted. The boy was walking down the beach. _The_ boy, the one with the sunglasses and the surfboard.

“Sorry, what were you saying?” he muttered, not really sorry at all and turning his gaze back to the girl.

“Oh, nothing really. I’ll be going.” Blushing deeply, she turned and ran back to her friends.

Now that she was gone, Louis could focus on the boy. He was just as Louis remembered him—tall and lanky, with dark curly hair. Now, though, only the lower half of the boy’s wetsuit was on and _oh_ , he was fit. Louis could see tattoos up and down his left arm and chest. They just worked so well. Something about the patterns of the black ink on the boy’s skin was mesmerizing. It was one of the most random-seeming collections of tattoos Louis had ever seen—barring his own, of course. The boy had someone with him, a shorter lad with wild blond hair and a laugh that Louis could hear from where he was sitting. As they neared Louis’ lifeguard stand he could start to hear what they were saying.

“Yeah, yeah, just be careful this time, Harry,” the blond one said.

 _Harry_. Now Louis had a name to put with the flawless face.

“I know, Niall, I know,” Harry brushed his friend’s advice off. “I’ll be fine.” His voice was breathy and deep, soft but carrying at the same time.

The two boys set up their towels just ten feet from Louis’ stand, and Louis felt his face starting to feel warm, and not just from the sun. Did they really need to sit _right_ _there_?

“Are you coming in?” Harry asked his friend—Niall, as Louis gathered.

Niall shook his head. “Nah, I’m gonna just sit here. Chill out a bit.”

“What about Zayn?”

Louis’ brow knitted. Zayn Malik was one of Louis’ good friends, and worked at the ice cream shop near the beach. How did these lads know him? For some reason, Niall’s cheeks flushed a slight shade of red. “What about him?”

“You going to go see him?” The right corner of Harry’s mouth was turned up in a mischievous half-grin, making his green eyes sparkle. Or was that just the sunlight? Either way, damnit, Louis couldn’t keep his eyes away.

“Maybe.” Niall smacked Harry’s arm. “Go do your surfing thing.”

Laughing, Harry ran off into the sea, his surfboard under his arm. Niall glanced in the direction of the ice cream shop, then shook his head and stretched out on his towel.

Louis looked back out to the sea, letting his eyes scan over the scene before him and offhandedly hoping for a cool breeze. Grumbling, his fingers reached up to toy with the neck of his t-shirt again, and once again he cursed Liam. _Ah, fuck it_. Throwing caution to the nonexistent wind, he yanked his shirt off, sighing as the sea air hit his sweaty chest. Louis wiped the sweat away with the cloth and chucked it to the side.

No matter how he tried, it was too damn impossible not to watch Harry. As much as Louis tried not to, it was like his eyes always came back to the curly-haired surfer. There was something fascinating about watching Harry ride the waves. The way his long legs steadied his body on the board, the way the sun bounced off his wet skin, the way his wetsuit clung to his body…

Louis shook his head, frustrated with himself. _I can’t get distracted_ , he scolded himself, telling himself he’ll just watch Harry for a minute more. As soon as he decided this he saw Harry fall off his board. Louis winced, feeling a rush of sympathy. Falling off was never fun. He’d catch the next one, though.

But three, then six seconds passed and Harry hadn’t resurfaced, and Louis found himself starting to rise from his seat. By the time ten seconds had gone by Louis was leaping down from his stand, blowing into his whistle furiously. The few people in his way moved out quickly as Louis waded into the water. Shit, it was chillier than he’d thought, but he didn’t care. The only thing on his mind was Harry. Fuck, where’d he go? Louis whipped his head from right to left, frantic. Then he caught a glimpse of Harry’s white surfboard several yards to the left. Without wasting a second he swam toward it as fast as he could, slicing through the ocean with powerful strokes.

Louis found Harry just below the water’s surface, bubbles issuing from the surfer’s lips and nose. Louis dragged the boy up so his head was above the water and swam back to shore with him, the board a distant worry at this point. Once on shore, Louis set Harry flat on his back and knelt by his side, about to begin CPR, but stopped as Harry abruptly turned over and started coughing.

“Holy…ugh…what happened?” Harry choked out as he spat out water.

“You’re alright, Harry,” Louis said, lightly thumping him on the back to help expel some of the water.

Harry’s bright green eyes fixed on Louis’ blue ones, curious. “How did you know my name?”

Oops. Caught. “Uh, just overheard it when you were walking by,” Louis managed to say without stuttering. “I’m Louis.”

Harry grinned, one half of his mouth turning up in the same kind of smile he’d given his friend earlier. “I know,” he said. “Everyone knows.”

Louis raised his eyebrows. “Oh, really?”

“Yeah, sure. Zayn talks about you all the time.”

“You know Zayn?” Louis asked, surprised.

Harry laughed. “Yeah. Don’t tell anyone I told you, but my mate Niall fancies him.”

“How d’you know Zayn?”

“Through Niall.”

Harry went to stand, but Louis stopped him. “You sure you’re feeling alright? I mean, you just nearly drowned.”

“Oh, that.” Harry tilted his head, which Louis found curious. “No, actually, I didn’t.”

“You fell off your surfboard in the ocean and didn’t come up for a good twenty or thirty seconds,” Louis pointed out.

“I’m good at holding my breath,” Harry said with a wink so brief Louis wasn’t sure if he imagined it. Before Louis could process the confusing combination of those words with the wink, Harry was gone.

 

~

 

As the week went on, Louis started seeing Harry every day. Some days Niall was with him, but most of the time Harry came alone, which Louis was secretly glad for. Harry would stop to talk when he took breaks from surfing, and before long they’d become good friends. Louis learned that Harry was twenty and was staying in Bournemouth with Niall and his family for the summer, and in turn he told Harry that he was twenty-two and had been living in the town since moving in with his now ex-boyfriend. Louis found himself memorizing everything about Harry—his odd collection of tattoos, the exact shade of his eyes, the way he tucked his surfboard under his arm—without even trying, and kicking himself for it because it meant he’d been staring far too much. He just hoped Harry hadn’t noticed.

One day, the conversation turned to plans for the future. Louis told Harry about his passion for football, and Harry spoke of his ambition to become a physiotherapist.

“So if I ever get injured, it’ll be you I go to,” Louis joked, which made Harry laugh.

“Yeah, sure. You want to play for a club someday?”

As Louis talked excitedly about his desire to play for his hometown club, neither he nor Harry noticed the sun starting to slip below the horizon.

“Oi! Lou!” called a sharp voice, cutting Harry off midsentence.

 “Oh shit, it’s Liam.” Louis cursed under his breath as his boss strode over to his stand.

“Lou, what are you doing? The beach closed quarter of an hour ago!” Liam demanded, his dark eyes looking from Louis to Harry, then back to Louis.

“Oh, uh…sorry, Liam.” Louis ducked his head and put on an apologetic face. He knew Liam would go easy on him…probably.

Liam sighed. “Just letting you know. Go on, then, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Louis grabbed his bag with his keys and phone and glanced back at Harry. “Hey, Harry, how about getting some coffee or something so we can keep talking?” Louis blurted out without thinking. _Oh, shit, you’ve really done it now,_ said a little voice inside his head. _You don’t even know if he’s straight or what!_

But Harry only smiled and said, “Sure.”

They went to a small restaurant on a corner with little booths and flowers on the table.

“It’s like we’re on a date or something,” Harry joked as they sat down.

Louis wasn’t laughing, though. Obviously Harry still saw it as two lads having a chat, but Louis…Louis wasn’t sure. “What if it was?” he asked quietly, tuning out the little voice in his head.

“Hmm.” Harry appeared to consider it, his teeth biting at the corner of his bottom lip, which Louis found very distracting. “Alright, say it is. Then what?”

“I asked you first.” Louis chuckled, trying to mask his nervousness with his signature sass.

“Well, I guess then one of us won’t be paying,” Harry said with a laugh.

“Obviously.” Louis smiled at Harry’s cheeky grin. Here in the restaurant, away from the sand and the waves, Harry seemed a lot less intimidating. Something about him at the beach made him seem so out of reach to Louis, but now he was starting to think he might actually have a shot. “And it’s not going to be you.”

“Who said that?”

“I did.”

“Well, you’re wrong, then.”

Louis decided it was his turn for a cheeky grin. “Not at all.”

They went on chatting through their sandwiches and drinks, and before long the plates were gone and their cups empty. Louis won the fight over the bill.

“Louis, do you think you could drive me home?” Harry asked. “I’m staying with Niall, but he left the beach before I did today so I have no way of getting back…”

“Oh, sure, no problem,” Louis said as they got into Louis’ car. He followed Harry’s directions back to Niall’s house, making the drive in comfortable silence.

“This the right one?” Louis asked, pulling up to a small house with the porch light on and Christmas lights still strung round the windows, even though it was July.

“Yeah, this is it.”

“What’s with the lights?”

“Don’t know. Niall likes weird, funny things like that,” Harry said with a chuckle as he got out of the car the same time as Louis, meeting him on the sidewalk. “I…uh…guess I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Louis didn’t answer right away, instead just staring. Harry’s curls were dry now, light and bouncy and really fluffy-looking, framing his emerald eyes and making them stand out. Without pausing to even think, he took both of Harry’s hands in his, reached up on his toes, and pressed a kiss to the taller boy’s lips. Harry blinked before a smile appeared very slowly on his face.

“Well, then?” Louis felt his heart was pounding far too loudly. He couldn’t move. He wanted to take his hands away but he couldn’t bring himself to do even that.

Harry responded with another kiss, longer and deeper this time, his tongue nudging its way between Louis’ lips and filling his mouth. Louis shut his eyes and let Harry’s hands move to the small of his back, savoring Harry’s taste.

Harry pulled back, and in the glow of the porch light Louis could see the boy’s pupils blown wide, leaving only a thin ring of green visible. “Lou,” Harry said, his voice even more raspy than usual, “I don’t wanna go home anymore. Not now.”

“How about you come home with me,” Louis suggested coyly, fingers already starting to wrap around Harry’s wrist.

Harry just nodded, and Louis felt a surge of excitement. Was this really happening? Either way, both jumped back in the car, and Louis was sure his driving counted as some form of reckless but he didn’t care. He couldn’t get them home fast enough.

Louis’ fingers fumbled with the doorknob, holding onto Harry with his other hand, and the second they were inside Harry barely had time to kick his shoes off before Louis pinned him to the wall.

Harry pulled his lips into a smirk. “Someone’s feisty.”

Louis tangled his fingers in Harry’s hair and pulled his head down so Louis could whisper in his ear. “Not my fault.” His other hand traced little circles at the base of Harry’s neck, and he was painfully aware of the sudden lack of room in his trousers.

Harry exhaled sharply and moved to pull Louis’ t-shirt off, but Louis stepped back. “Come on, not right here,” Louis whispered, hooking a finger under the neckline of Harry’s shirt and leading him toward the bedroom.

Harry’s impatience got the better of him—he was tugging his clothes off and chucking it somewhere in the corner and already had Louis’ swimsuit pulled halfway down before the older boy stopped him.

“Look who’s feisty now,” Louis teased, stepping away with a smug grin.

“Not my fault.”

Hearing Harry repeat his words didn’t help Louis’ self-control at all. “Stand up. Wanna look at you.”

Harry did, and Louis nearly gasped aloud at the sight. However fit Harry looked from the waist up, from the waist down he was absolutely stunning. His cock, semi-hard, was the biggest Louis had ever seen. “Mmm, Harry…” Louis motioned vaguely to the bed.

Louis undressed rather unceremoniously, adding his clothing to Harry’s pile before joining him on the bed. He crawled over Harry, settling on top, to bring their mouths together in another kiss, this one even more frenetic and wild. Harry’s hands ran all over Louis’ body, from his arms to his back to the curve of his arse, driving Louis mad with lust. Louis dragged his mouth from Harry’s, trailing down his neck and chest alternating between licks and little sucking kisses, just hard enough for Harry to feel them but not enough to leave marks. Harry moaned low in his throat, his hips starting to wriggle of their own accord.

“Hmm.” Louis breathed hot air over Harry’s stiff cock. “Want me to suck you off, yeah?”

“Yeah, yeah Lou,” Harry whispered, his eyes closing in anticipation.

Louis’ tongue darted out to lick Harry all over, taking his time, careful not to miss a single spot.

Harry whined. “Tease.”

Louis chuckled. “I know.” With that, he took Harry into his mouth and started sucking vigorously.

“Oh, fuck!” Harry groaned as he felt the head of his cock hit the back of Louis’ throat. “Holy shit, Lou…”

Louis grinned as best he could around Harry’s length, smirking to himself in his head. He was good, and he knew it. His cheeks hollowed and he sucked harder, deeper, working Harry over with his tongue all the while.

“Mmm, gonna come if you keep that up…”

Louis looked up through his lashes and saw Harry’s face, awash with pleasure and lips parted sensually, staring back. Suddenly he pulled off Harry with a popping sound worthy of a porn star and crawled back up to look the boy in the eyes. Harry’s eyes were unfocused and cloudy with desire. “Ready, Harry?” Louis whispered, dropping his head to lick along the contours of Harry’s ear.

“F-for what?”

“For me to fuck you.” Louis lingered for half a second more, awaiting Harry’s consent.

Harry only nodded frantically. “Yeah, yeah, come on, Lou.”

Louis reached over to the bedside drawer and snatched up a small bottle of lube and a condom. After slathering lube over his fingers, he retreated down Harry’s body to see that his legs were already spread. “Mmm, such a nice hole…looks so tight…let’s test that, hmm?” Louis pushed a finger inside, feeling Harry’s heat and the clench of his muscles around Louis’ finger.

“Oh god!” Harry shouted.

Louis raised his eyebrows. “And this is just one finger,” he murmured, thrusting it in and out. “What happens when I add another one…” He thrust a second in, scissoring them around and spreading Harry, prepping him. Harry only moaned in response. “Fuck, Harry, can’t believe how tight you are…”

“Enough, Lou, just fuck me already,” Harry hissed, his voice apparently found again.

Louis laughed. “As you wish, then,” he purred, pressing kisses to Harry’s inner thighs, eager himself but determined to at least _appear_ in control. Patient though he tried to be, he couldn’t resist tearing the condom packet open with his teeth before slipping it on and coating it in lube. “Alright, then?” he whispered, lining himself up at Harry’s rim.

Harry squirmed under Louis. “Come on already,” he complained, his voice deep and scratchy with lust.

Louis pushed in slowly, watching Harry’s face carefully to gauge the younger boy’s reactions. Harry’s eyes were squeezed shut, his hair splayed against the sheets and his mouth open halfway to words that never came out. Once he was all the way in Louis paused, allowing himself a small moan as he reveled in the tightness and heat surrounding his cock. “Shit, Harry…so fucking tight…” Louis pulled out till only the tip was inside Harry before snapping his hips forward again.

Harry’s breath hitched audibly and he let out a soft, continuous sigh. Louis picked up speed as he pushed back on Harry’s legs, essentially folding Harry in half and pounding him into the mattress. For a long time there was nothing but the sounds of skin on skin and Louis’ heavy, ragged breathing and Harry’s slight moans, synchronized with Louis’ thrusts. Louis leaned forward and sucked kisses, harder ones this time, along Harry’s collarbone and neck. There’d be bruises in the morning, perhaps only light ones, but bruises nonetheless. His thrusts were getting faster, harder, more erratic, but it was all worth it once a fumble hit Harry’s prostate.

“Lou, oh god, yeah, right there…” Harry’s voice was absolutely wrecked, and to Louis there was nothing sexier. “Fuck it, Lou, I’m gonna come, I’m gonna come…”

“Come on, Harry, we’ll come together.” Louis reached out with one hand and, with a few flicks of his wrist, sent Harry over the edge. Harry’s moans of pleasure were enough to push Louis to his climax as well.

Slowly, he pulled out, quickly discarding the condom and then returning to the bed to wrap Harry in his arms. “You okay, Harry?” Louis whispered, running his hands over Harry’s arms in a comforting gesture.

“Oh my god, Louis, that was…” Harry trailed off with a weak chuckle. “I can’t think of a good word.”

“I’ll consider that a compliment, then,” Louis said with a wink as they burrowed under the covers.

Harry, despite being the taller of the two, snuggled into the curve of Louis’ body, making himself the little spoon. “Louis, I have to tell you something.”

“Anything at all, go on.” Though Louis’ voice was calm, inside he was panicking. Had he done something wrong? Was it something he said?

“That day you saved me…I wasn’t actually drowning.”

Was he serious? Louis’ eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Then what the hell was that all about?”

“I wanted you to save me,” Harry admitted. “So I’d have an excuse to talk to you.”

“And coming up and talking to me wasn’t enough,” Louis teased, making Harry laugh.

“Wanted to feel you holding me.”

Louis just smiled and shut off the light.

“Hey, Louis,” came Harry’s voice through the darkness.

“Hmm?” Louis nuzzled the younger boy’s neck with his nose.

Harry’s response pleased Louis very much. “I don’t think I’ll be surfing tomorrow.”

**Author's Note:**

> So wheeee this is my first ever fanfic and I'm excited--I had so much fun writing it! Please leave a comment if you liked it, or even if you didn't like it, so I can work on things! Thanks for reading :) xx


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